Stringed instrument



p 1 E. P. NORWOOD STRINGED INSTRUMENT Filed Feb. 1, 1926 Patented Sept. 13, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,642,126 PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD P. NORWOOD, OF BIBMIHGHAJK ALABAMA.

STRING-ED INSTRUMENT.

Application filed. February My invention relates to a stringed instrument of a new and distinctive design which combines the characteristics of the guitar or ukulele with. their sonorous. melodious tones derived from the wooden body, with the characteristics of the banjo with its brighter and more vigorous tones. More p. rticularly, the object of my invention is to provide a. stringed musical instrument having an improved body design which is of approximately triangular shape to make provision at the base of its wooden top for an. inset banjo head of oblong elongated design, while towards the apex of the top is provided a large sound opening corresponding toy that of the guitar.

My invention turther contemplates the combination with the wooden body of a stringed instrument of a combination sound bar and brace which is preferably made of metal and is inclined in a vertical central plane through the body.

My invention further contemplates improved means for the convenient mounting and ready adjustment of the tension on the banjo head, the tension screws being readily accessible from the top of the instrument.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiment only are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application, and in which Fig. 1 is an enlarged plan view of the head of the instrument showing the neck broken away.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of a t pical mounting and tension adjustment for the banjo head; and

Fig. i is a reduced view of the complete instrument.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated, I show an instrument comprising a neck 1 substantially similar to that of a banjo and provided with the usual frets 2 and tuning screws or keys 3 for the strings 4 of the instrument. This neck 1 is connected to a wooden body or head which is of approximate triangular shape with its corners rounded for symmetrical and pleasing appearance and which comprises a wooden bottom 5, a marginal wooden wall 6 surround- 1, 1926.. Serial N0.. 85,170.

ing the bottom and closed overhead by a wooden top wall 7, the walls 5, 6 and 7 being suitably braced and assembled in accordance with the established practice in the manufacture of the wooden bodies of guitars, ukuleles and like stringed instruments, and the particular manner of such constructron forming no part of my present inven t1on.' In the top 7 I provide a large centrally disposed sound opening 8 and across the wide base portion of the top I provide an oblong opening 9' extending substantially the full width of the base portion of the top and disposed with itsv long axis at right angles to the direction of the strings. In this oblong opening 9 I mount a banjo head which may be of any standard construction, that shown comprising a metal ring 10 over which the parchment 11 is drawn by the action of a tension ring 12 which is aajusted by tension clips 13- which have oneend bent to engage over the ring 12 and have their outer endsout-turned at right angles provided with holes for the screwsv 14. These screws are mounted in heads '15 which support the mainring 10 and are in turn connected by screws 17 to a marginal rim 16 attached to the underside of the top 7. The screws 14 project upwardly through the opening 9 in the head 7 and nuts 18 thereon, by engaging the clips 13, will enable the banjo head to be tensioned from above.

The strings 4 rest on a bridge 27 that in turn rests on the banjo head near the center and the strings are attached to the tail-piece 19 which is attached to the wall 6 of the instrument by a bolt 20 having its outer end engaged by a knurled nut 21 and having its inner end adapted to engage the upturned flange 22 on the combination brace and sound bar 23 which extends forwardly and downwardly and hasits front end twisted and upturned to provide a flange 24 which is connected by a screw 25 to the head block 26. This bar thus serves as a longitudinal brace against the tension of the strings and due to its shape and inclined position it will also function as a sound bar which will increase the volume of the tone which has been muted by the construction of the head or cabinet. The wooden head or cabinet tends to soften the tone provided by the banjo head and I rely on the sound bar to restore the volume of the banjo tone while preserving the softening effect on such tones derived from the use of the wooden head or cabinet.

In operation, having constructed the improved instrument in the manner described, it will be found that, due to the provision in the wooden cabinet of the banjo head, the sound opening and the sound bar, the instrument will produce a distinctive tone having certain qualities of the wooden bodied instruments, such as the guitar, but also being capable of producing the brilliance in tone which characterizes the banjo without however its harshness or stringency. As a result, I have produced a new instrument having tone qualities different from any now on the market and I, therefore, do not wish to limit myself to the details of construction shown, which may be readily modified by those skilled in the art to-secure the efiects which I obtain by the use of other equivalent means.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A stringed instrument, comprising a wooden cabinet head having in its top two spaced openings one forming a sound opening and the other adapted to receive av banjo head, a neck, and strings mounted on the instrument to pass over said opening and the banjo head.

2. A stringed instrument, as described in claim 1, in which the head is substantially of triangular shape with its maximum width at the base and in which the banjo head is set in the base portion of the head and the sound opening is set near its apex.

3. A stringed instrument, comprising a wooden body substantially triangular in shape having rounded corners, there being a large sound opening near the apex and a wide oblong opening across the base of its top, a banjo head mounted in said latter opening, and means to mount strings on the instrument which pass over said opening and banjo head, substantially as described.

' 4. A stringed instrument, comprising a body formed by a wooden cabinet having a neck attached thereto at one end and a tailpiece at the opposite end, there being in the top of said cabinet a sound opening near the neck and an opening for a banjo head near the tail-piece, a banjo head mounted in said latter opening a combination sound bar and brace extending from adjacent to the tailpiece forwardly and downwardly towards the neck of the instrument, and means to mount strings on the instrument.

5. A stringed instrument, in accordance with claim 5, in which the sound and brace bar is formed by a metallic bar twisted to lie in a vertical plane throughout the major portion of its length and having its ends bent for appropriate connection to the neck and tail-piece of the instrument. 1

6. An improved type of stringed instrument, comprising a wooden cabinet having an inset banjo head and a sound opening, a combination brace and sound bar in the cabinet disposed at an inclination in the direction of the strings, and means to mount strings on the cabinet to pass over said opening and banjo head. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EDWARD P. NORWOOD. 

